Animated sign.



E. G. SMITH.

ANIMATE!) SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED IIIAII. I3. 191'7.

LQLQ. Patented Jan. 14,1919.

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ANTMATED SIGN.

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Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1a, rara.

.Application filed March 13, iai?. serialno. 154,508'.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that ll, FDwARD G. SMITH,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have inventeda new and Improved Animated Sign, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved animated sign arranged to display an advertisement, legend, picture or other display matter in such a manner that it appears with a motion picture effect thereby rendering the sign exceedingly attractive and interesting to the onlooker.

ln order to accomplish the desired result, use is made of a series of units driven in unison and arranged one alongside the other, the faces of the units being successively in the same plane on rotating the units, and unitary display matter produced in complementary relation on the faces of the units to cause the display matter to appear animated on rotating the units. p

A practical embodiment of theinvention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification, in

which similar characters of reference indi`` cate corresponding1 parts in all the views.

Figure l is a face view of the animated sign with the units in first position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same with the units in second position;-

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same with the units in third position and with part broken out to show a portion of the driving mechanism for rotating the units in unison;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional plan view of a portion of the driving mechanism, the section being on the line are of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the animated sign on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the upper end of one of the units.

lln the opening of a suitable frame 10 are arranged one or two series of units 11, one in front of the other, so as to display an advertisement, legend, picture or other suitable matter on either face of the frame. The two series of units shown in Fig. 5 are alike in construction so that it suffices to describe but one in detail. The units 11 are in the form of bars or tubes disposed vertically and preferably made triangular in cross section, as plainly indicated in Figs. 5

-gear wheel. 15 (see Figs. 3 and 4) and 6. The Ibars are arranged one alongside the other with the faces appearing successively inthe same plane onrotating the bars in unison with each other, The bars are provided with a centralshaft 12 journaled in the top and bottom of the frame 10, and the lower ends of the shafts 12 are provided with gear wheels 13 in mesh with intermediate gear wheels 14' to rotate the bars in unison. One of the end gear wheels 13 of each unit is in mesh with a driving secured on the shaft 16 of a motor 17 of any approved construction. Thus when the motor 17 .is running the units 11 in each face of the frame 10 are rotated in unison. Uther suitable driving means such as sprocket wheels and sprocket chains may be used, and Ido not limit myself to the driving means shown and above described.

On the faces of the units 11 is depicted an advertisement, legend, picture or other unitary display matter; "for instance, as shown in Figspl, 2 and 3, a wheel. On the first set of faces of the units appearing in the same place are depictedportions 20 of the display matter, as plainly shown in Fig. 1and on the next adjacent faces of the units are arranged portions 21, and on the third faces are arranged portions 22 of the same unitary display matter, as will be readily understood by reference to Figs. and 3. It will Ibe noticed that by comparison of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 that the portions 20, 21 and 22 on any one of the units 11 are in progressive order one relative to the other and are in complementary relation with the portions of the display matter on the con responding faces of the next adjacent unit. Thus when the units 11 are in the position shown in Fig. 1 the spokes' of the wheel, for instance, appear in vertical and horizontal positions, and after one-third of a revolution has been given to the units then the spokes show as advanced, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2, and on the next one-third of a revolution the spokes appear as still further advanced, as will 'be readily understood by reference to Fig. 3, the unitary design appearing at the next one-third of a revolution again in the position shown in Fig. 1. Thus at each revolution of the units 11 the wheel appears to have been rotated one-fourth and as the units are rotated, say about three hundred revolutions per minute, it is evident that the rapid succession that each face presents itself makes the Wheel appear to be rotating at about twenty-live revolutions per minute. It is evident that an effect can be produced similar to that of the Wheel by placing a number of letters forming a Word or an inscription in three relative positions so as to make them appear to be moving from side to side or in a circular or continuous up or down motion as may be desired by driving the units 1l continuously to the right or to the left. The concentric circle-s representing the rim of the Wheel are preferably made in alternating sections of different colors to increase the motion picture effect of the wheel. The faces of the units l1 are also provided near the top and bottom With complementary portions of a broken line 23, 24C and 25 arranged in such relation that When the units are rotated the upper portions appear as a line running from the right to the left While the lower portions appear as a line Vrunning from the left to the right practically in simulation of a sprocket chain passing over the Wheel depicted by the portions 20, 21 and 22.

It is evident that I do not limit myself to the particular display matter illustrated in the drawings, as the same may be varied or designed to represent any desired advertisement, legend, picture or the like. The same or different display matter may be shown on both sides of units 11 arranged on the opposite faces of the frame 10.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. An animated sign comprising a frame, a plurality of triangular bars pivotedly mounted in the frame, each having a portion of the same display matter produced on its several faces, the portions being arranged on the faces of the bars in progressive order one relative to the other and in complementary relation With the portion on the corresponding face of the next adjacent bar, and means for rapidly and uninterruptedly rotating` the said bars, whereby an animated effect is given to the display matter.

2. An .animated sign comprising a frame, a plurality of triangular bars pivotedly mounted in the frame and having` display matter simulatincv a Wheel and chain produced on their faces, the portions of the Wheel being arranged on the several faces of each bar and in progressive order one relative to the other and in complementary relation with the portions on the corresponding faces of the neXt adjacent bar, and the conllpl-emxentary portions of the chain bein g produced on the upper and lower ends of the bars to represent broken lines and arranged in such relation that when the bars are rotated they appear as lines running in opposite directions, and means for rapidly and iminterruptedly rotating the said bars, whereby the Wheel will appear as running at a rapid rate with a sprocket chain passing over it:

EDWARD G. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may beobtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

